Home > The Open Group Expands its Global Reach with New Mid-East Franchise

The Open Group Expands its Global Reach with New Mid-East Franchise

The Open Group Arabia is organization’s second global franchise to open this year; will focus on growing regional memberships and awareness of IT standards

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 10, 2009, 2009 – The Open Group[1], a vendor- and technology-neutral consortium focused on open standards and global interoperability within and between enterprises, today announced that it has signed a Franchise Agreement with Shift Technologies, a leading IT and business consulting firm based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to represent the organization in Arabic speaking countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. This makes The Open Group Arabia the second franchise formed on behalf of The Open Group this year and the fifth international franchise for the organization, with other franchisees located in China, France, Japan and South Africa.

Part of the AW Rostamani Group, one of the leading conglomerates in the United Arab Emirates, Shift Technologies, serving as The Open Group Arabia, will provide localized access to information such as TOGAF™ and forums in the field of information security and enterprise architecture provided by The Open Group. It is expected that this will deliver a wide range of benefits to the IT and business communities throughout the region. Shift Technologies will also use its existing relationships with companies in the region to recruit additional memberships for The Open Group Arabia and expand the awareness of interoperability between IT and business, enterprise architecture and security issues with local companies. The Open Group Arabia will span in the following Arabic speaking countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen.

“We’re very pleased to be representing The Open Group to Arabic-speaking countries and to be expanding our relationship with the organization beyond the TOGAF certification programs we’re already offering to our customers,” said Abdallah El Kadi, CEO, Shift Technologies. “The Open Group’s mission of achieving Boundaryless Information Flow™ between business and IT is an important part of the consulting and IT services we provide to our customers. We’re also looking forward to further educating companies in our region about how enterprise architecture frameworks and security standards can be of benefit to how companies operate and help them achieve their business goals. The Open Group Arabia clearly has a very bright future ahead of it.”

“As companies have continued to extend their global footprints, adopting standards focused on interoperability and collaboration among employees and partners has become increasingly imperative,” said Allen Brown, president and CEO for The Open Group. “Shift Technologies has already been a strong and established member of The Open Group in the United Arab Emirates through the TOGAF training and certification program they provide. Through The Open Group Arabia, Shift Technologies’ ability to further promote global standards to companies in the region is an important step toward our goal of facilitating better access to information among different enterprises, firewalls and borders.”

About Shift Technologies

Shift Technologies[2] is a pioneering IT and business consulting firm that provides an array of business-driven services devoted to aligning an organization's operations with its overall strategy using technology. The company’s solutions support management planning and decision-making processes by providing a holistic and integrated view of the entire enterprise. Most importantly, the company provides a system for measurement that monitors and traces deliverables against initial requirements. The company is part of the prominent AW Rostamani Group, one of the leading conglomerates in the UAE.

About The Open Group

The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow™ that will enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to operate the industry’s premier certification service. Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org[1].

Note to Editors: Boundaryless Information Flow and TOGAF are trademarks of The Open Group. All other company, brand and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.